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Vienna taste success in Switzerland

Vienna Gaels’ men went one step further than April’s final defeat last weekend in Zürich, winning Round 2 of the Central/East Europe Gaelic football championship on 6 April and storming to the top of the ranking.

The Gaels travelled to Switzerland with the biggest men’s squad in recent years, while the ladies joined forces with Prague Hibernians for the day.

After getting the day off to a perfect start with a comprehensive win over Geneva, the men were shaken by a 1-8 to 2-5 draw with Lazio. This proved the perfect wake-up call and was followed by a 12-point victory against the hosts.

The Vienna/Prague ladies combination struggled to score early in the day, which cost them dearly in matches against Zürich and Munich, where there was no major gap in ability.

Berlin/Basel proved to be the toughest test of the day as the eventual tournament winners scored six goals, but the ladies ended the group with a 3-3 to 1-4 win over Lazio.

Immediately afterwards came the 3/4 place playoff against Zürich. Although the Vienna/Prague side had become a true team at this stage, fatigue and lack of depth in the squad took its toll and the hosts ran out five-point winners.

A pair of German clubs stood in between Vienna’s men and a first tournament win since 2015 and they proved to be two very different matches.

While Munich were dispatched in a straightforward manner, 2-12 to 0-2, the final against Berlin was far from simple and it was a single goal which separated the sides after 30 minutes of football, the Gaels running out 2-7 to 1-7 winners.

The victory puts Vienna in a very healthy position in the men’s championship, with two rounds left to play (3 June in Prague and 1 July in Munich), while the ladies will hope for a full squad in the upcoming rounds to break into the top three.